Sarah sits up in the bed gasping for air. Naomi rushes over to her and as she reaches out for Sarah she's sent flying over the chair at the foot of the bed. Naomi lands clumsily and painfully on the floor. She pushes herself up despite the pain she feels and she approaches Sarah slower this time.

"Sarah? It's me, it's Naomi. It's okay. You're safe. Just take a deep breath."

Naomi's voice slowly settles into Sarah's mind and she begins breathing slowly. Her eyes flutter open and she looks at Naomi who is cradling her arm. Naomi sits on the bed in front of Sarah.

"Hey. I'm sorry if I scared you, I just wanted to come check on you. We haven't seen you the whole day."

Naomi can't help but feel nervous being around Sarah. It seems her magick is seeping right through her and Naomi can taste it. She swallows down and tries to steady her breathing. Sarah clears her throat, her mouth dry.

"Where's Jackson?" She croaks.

Naomi smiles at Sarah with a wink. "He's around here somewhere. Probably at the dinner table with Raurlin. How are you feeling? I've been worried about you."

Sarah swings her feet off the bed and she stands up and stretches. She turns to Naomi who is watching on with a small smile. Her hair is messy and she has bags under her eyes but the colour has returned to her face and Naomi sighs a sigh of relief.

"What have I missed?" Sarah asks as she walks into the bathroom.

"Not much actually. Today has been a slow day. We did find out that Raurlin has to accept Mikain as his alpha to complete the awakening."

Sarah walks back into the room, her hair brushed and face washed. She walks over to the cupboard and pulls it open.

"It's just a formality" she states as she changes into a tracksuit "Raurlin is an anomaly. He doesn't need to do anything."

"And you know this how?"

Sarah grins at Naomi "I'm the balancing witch."

The two trot downstairs to find Jackson and Raurlin sitting at the table. Mikain is in his usual spot but Armon is beside him instead of Sandy. Naomi frowns as she sits beside Raurlin. Raurlin drops a hand onto her thigh and gives it a small squeeze. He looks at Naomi and frowns and Naomi shakes her head quickly as Sarah settles across the table beside Jackson. Jackson smiles warmly at Sarah.

"Sarah, I'm glad to see you're doing better. I would like to thank you for your help with the little situation."

"You're welcome, Mikain, however it's hardly a little situation and perhaps it's something that warrants a conversation. Perhaps after dinner?"

Mikain only nods and watches as Sarah and Jackson walk to the stove and dish up. Once they're at a safe distance Naomi leans towards Raurlin.

"She woke up from a nightmare as soon as I walked in the room and I rushed to the bed to check on her. Her magick is overflowing. I touched her and her magick propelled me away from her. I could taste it, Raur."

Raurlin nods slowly and then squeezes her thigh as Sarah and Jackson walk back to the table. They settle down in front of Raurlin and Naomi and dig into their supper.

                                                                                                                   ❄

The group settle in Mikain's office and surprisingly Armon isn't among them. Jackson settles into a chair and Sarah settles onto the armrest of his chair. Naomi sits on a chair and Raurlin remains standing beside her with his arms crossed.

"Sarah the floor is yours."

Sarah nods once at Mikain.

"What happened to Brody and some of us here was something we need to take seriously. It was the work of the third witch but what concerns me is that it was a direct attack using black magick. It's one of two things, either the third witch intends to make herself known and she is merely testing me or the attack was a distraction of something bigger to come."

There's a silence and Raurlin is the first to speak.

"Sarah, is it possible to pinpoint the location of the third witch?"

"I can try a spell but if she's cloaked herself I won't be able to even single down on an area. What's your thought process?"

"Well it's been a long time since we've had all three witches in play. We don't know what her intention is. She's shown us her hand and all that we're left with is the element of surprise. I say we bring her in, on our terms."

"Bring her in where, Raur?" Jackson asks. "There are children here, we don't know enough to put innocent lives at risk."

"Perhaps we should start off by seeing if we can make contact?"

"Naomi..."

"What Raur? I'm human so I shouldn't be getting mixed up in supernatural business? I thought we moved past this."

There's an awkward silence as Naomi glares at Raurlin who flushes in embarrassment. Naomi clears her throat and continues.

"I suggest we see if Sarah can locate her with a spell then we reach out. We meet on neutral ground so that we don't put anyone at risk." Naomi looks at Jackson and he nods.

"I'm with Naomi. We will go; me as a representative of the vampires, perhaps Armon as a representative of the wolves and Sarah as a representative of the witch community."

"And what about me?" Raurlin asks with a frown.

"We don't know if the third witch knows about you yet, Raur. You're our wild card."

They turn to Mikain who nods in silence.

"I'm happy with this plan," Mikain states "however any move we make will happen after the awakening. Raurlin we don't know the effect it will have on you and perhaps if you will need time to recover. I will speak to Armon to bring him up to speed."

"Where is he?" Jackson asks.

"It seems he isn't feeling well. I think he may have food poisoning. Alright well thank you all for your time. I trust this matter won't leave the walls of this office just yet. Sandy is close to labour and I would like this process to be as easy for her as possible."

There's a general consensus and the four make their way upstairs leaving Mikain alone in his office. Jackson had been sure to hand the key back to Mikain but neither of them spoke of the crypt after. Jackson decided he would remain quiet regarding his new found knowledge until he knew enough. They all settle into Raurlin and Naomi's room.

Naomi sits on the bed and Sarah sits beside her. Jackson and Raurlin sit in the chairs at the edge of the bed. Naomi takes a moment to soak in the room knowing that soon they will be on a journey back home. She knows she will miss the pack in the mountains but consoles herself with the thought that she can come back and visit.

"Sarah, what were you dreaming of when I came into the room?"

Sarah frowns at Naomi and is pensive a moment then her eyes widen as she remembers the dream.

"The same dream from when we left the house, the snow and the blood dripping off my hands. Why?"

Naomi pulls the sleeve on her top up and reveals a large bruise on her arm. Sarah gasps as she looks at it. Raurlin stands up and walks to where Naomi is sitting and he examines her arm closely. He glances at Jackson who is watching motionless.

"I'm so sorry, Naomi, I had no idea..."

"No it's okay. It's hardly your fault and I'm not in any pain. I just wanted you to be aware of the fact that you're doing magick in your sleep."

Naomi looks at Jackson and he nods once but remains silent. Sarah's eyes widen and then she frowns. She chews on her bottom lip deep in thought and then she turns to Naomi.

"You're a genius, Naomi. I kept thinking the dream had something to do with the witch who came before me but now I think it might be the making of a spell."

Naomi smiles at Sarah who is still deep in thought. Sarah shakes her head as if to silence her thoughts and she turns to Jackson.

"So what is our plan in terms of this third witch? If I can make contact it will be because she wants me to make contact."

"I'm working on something" Jackson states and falls back into silence.

Sarah stands up and holds a hand out to Jackson who takes it as he stands up.

"We better get going. It's late and you have a big day tomorrow, Raurlin. Have a good rest you two."

With that Sarah and Jackon make their way to their room leaving Naomi and Raurlin alone in silence. Naomi stands up and walks to the cupboard, Raurlin sits on the edge of the bed unsure of how to approach Naomi after what happened with Mikain.

"Naomi. I owe you an apology..."

Naomi turns to face Raurlin but she says nothing.

"...I know that I keep treating you as if you're not a part of us but you're my aeturnum so you are definitely supernatural in some way."

Naomi rolls her eyes and demands "are you trying to convince yourself or me?"

"I-"

"-I'm not angry because you keep trying me like a weak human, Raurlin, I'm angry because you chose to ridicule me in front of everyone. So let me know when you're sorry about that."

With that Naomi walks into the bathroom and shuts the door. Her anger is almost palpable as she turns the shower on. She doesn't wait for it to warm up; she undresses and steps under the cold water, oblivious to the cold. She makes quick work with showering, her anger fuelling her.

Naomi steps out of the shower and walks to the sink. She wraps her towel firmly around her and squirts some toothpaste onto her toothbrush. She grips onto the handle of the toothbrush and starts brushing her teeth. She glances up at her reflection and she gasps, dropping the tooth brush. For a brief moment Naomi is sure her eyes are a glimmering red. She shuts her eyes tightly then slowly opens her eyes and examines them closely in the mirror. They have returned to their natural colour.

In their room Raurlin is laying on the bed staring up at the ceiling. He listens to Naomi in the bathroom and grits his teeth. He is angry at himself. He knows that Naomi is right about his behaviour and he fights the side of him that attempts to rationalise it. The bathroom door opens and he sits up and watches as Naomi walks from the bathroom to the cupboard.

"Naomi...you're right. My behaviour was unacceptable. I'm sorry. It's never my intention to make you feel weak or less than in comparison to Jackson, Sarah or myself. It's just...I almost lost you once...I'd never forgive myself if I let something happen to you."

"Thank you for apologising. But this isn't about you Raurlin. It's about the way you see and treat me. I'm part vampire and I'm learning to take care of myself. You need to come to terms with that."

With that Naomi drops into the covers and turns her back to Raurlin. She stares at the curtain feeling a mixture of anger and confusion. She shuts her eyes and starts counting in her mind. Raurlin remains lying beside Naomi until her breathing deepens and he's sure she's asleep. Once she's asleep he slips out the room and jogs quietly downstairs. Jackson is sitting at the kitchen table. Raurlin drops down beside him.

The curtain just in front of them is open and Raurlin allows his eyes to turn to that gleaming red and into the darkness he can see snow falling. There is complete silence and no movement. He allows himself to listen and all around him there is deep breathing and steady heart beats. Jackson turns to Raurlin, his eyes matching that of his best friend.

"How did the recon mission go?"

"Very interesting, Raur. Your suspicion was correct. It is possible for a human to turn wolf from a scratch. It depends on the depth of the scratch but it wasn't Brody's. It was yours. Brody's scratch healing the way that it did only meant that the wolf resin was already present in Naomi's blood stream. But there's nothing that mentions how to bring out the wolf side, other than the awakening, or if there's a guarantee that the shift won't kill her. We'd need to figure out how to awaken her vampire side first."

There's a creak on the floor in the distance behind them and Raurlin stands up. Jackson reaches out and clasps onto his arm.

"Raur...there's something else I found. There's something you need to know."